Andrew Adametz

I know above, it is marked that he primarily teaches high school grades, but Mr. Adametz begins working with his band students beginning in seventh grade. It gives the band students a chance to get to know both him and his expectations before marching band in high school. I'll be honest, he was a tough teacher, and he did yell often, but in the end it helped me. He pulled me aside a few times and told me to keep working and that I was progressing well, even though all I would hear from my sister was that I sucked. One notable conversation that comes to mind is when I had been prepping for a Solo and Ensemble contest. He told me not to pay attention to what the judges gave me, and that he didn't care what they'd give me. No matter what, he'd be proud of how much I improved in the span of a year and a half. It meant a lot to me, and it boosted my confidence. Moving into high school, I had been very emotional. Freshman year kind of sucked all around, but then it was Sophomore year. He had helped me begin to move out of my overly-emotional phase, and he kept telling me how proud he was to see me moving forward. And then came concert season. I ended up getting first chair, but when I began to doubt myself, he made sure to tell me I was able to play my trombone well. It helped me continue to push to succeed. Junior year, that confidence helped me "check off" most of my music at band camp alone. It also made me work harder to memorize all 12 major scales, and to keep pushing to hit the higher notes I hadn't been able to reach before. I did get all 12, and I credit him pushing me to be the reason. I told him this year, my senior year, thank you. If he wouldn't have pushed me, I wouldn't be able to play at the level I play now. He had pushed the four trombones to really push for sound during a song, and after playing it, he decided to tell me good job, which really helped to raise my spirits. While he has pushed me and helped me improve as a player, he has impacted my personal life as well, especially within the past year. I had grown up hearing stories from my mother of Mr. Adametz, as he had started teaching her junior year. It made me wish to join band in the first place. Band was always an interesting way to start the day. If it were a drowsy day, his sense of humor was sure to wake you up, and it would help for the rest of the day. I had enjoyed his class quite a bit - even on the days I would cry - but I really didn't grow very close with him until Junior year. It was building up, but it was solidified Junior year when I would student aide for him. My family went through some personal issues for about a month and a half before quarantine. He had allowed me to open up to him about it, as well as he checked in with me about it. He also let me vent when needed. It meant a lot to me, it was nice that someone showed they cared about it, and they weren't experiencing it along with me. And then, when quarantine began, he made sure to have video calls almost every day all the way through May. It meant a lot for him to stay in contact with his students, even if it wasn't directly in contact. I ended up admitting to him that I viewed him as a father figure, and he got a genuine smile, and he was truly touched. The reason I am nominating Mr. Adametz is because not only has he been there for me as a teacher, but he's been there as a parental figure, and I truly appreciate him for that. He cares about his band students, he loves to refer to us as his kids and his people. He also worked to be able to have the band be able to play at the football games this year, even if it was only supposed to be three games compared to the ten that normally happen, as well as push for more safety regulations at the school. It's teachers like him, teachers that make a strong impact on students both educationally and personally, that deserve some form of recognition. The image included is a socially distanced picture of him and me from the last day of our makeshift band camp this year.

Kelsey Campbell